Question Can someone explain the "smut ban" in China?

Discussion in 'Novel General' started by teargrants, Jan 22, 2020.

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  1. teargrants

    teargrants Well-Known Member

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    i've heard that some authors have difficulty including smut in their novels bc of the smut ban but others are able to get away w it? is it only in certain parts of china? does it depend on your publisher?
     
    teargrants, Jan 22, 2020
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  2. chencking

    chencking [Daolord Grammar Nazi]

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    It depends on the censoring agency
     
    chencking, Jan 22, 2020
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  3. nonononononono

    nonononononono NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO

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    It is strictly forbidden
     
    nonononononono, Jan 22, 2020
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  4. Miri-Bell

    Miri-Bell Semi-crazy Magic Cat

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    It's massively annoying.
     
    Miri-Bell, Jan 22, 2020
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  5. BigBadBoi

    BigBadBoi Well-Known Member

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    It's China, what did you expect?
     
    BigBadBoi, Jan 22, 2020
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  6. Bugis-san

    Bugis-san Well-Known Member

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    chaina namba wan!!!
     
    Bugis-san, Jan 22, 2020
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  7. Westeller

    Westeller Smokin' Sexy Style!! Staff Member

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    I think the most in-depth, comprehensive explanation of censorship in China I have ever read is... "Everything is censored in China."

    Honestly, it does seem like at least twice a year the gov't throws an entire genre of literature or other media into the "NOPE" pile. Don't be surprised if you wake up one morning and tens of thousands of webnovels are gone.

    Anyway, I'm not sure how extensive China's ban on smut is, but if you notice some things being censored while others aren't, it may not be the gov't doing the censoring. The webnovel platforms also censor themselves, to avoid trouble from the gov't. So novels could be censored by the platform they're on even if the gov't hasn't said anything about them. That may be the discrepancy you see.
     
    Westeller, Jan 22, 2020
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  8. Goblin Sleuth

    Goblin Sleuth Well-Known Member

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    It could be one of those rules that is written but not normally enforced. I think fanfiction.net has a pretty much identical situation. There is a strict no adult content rule, but everyone pretty much just ignores it, kind of "I won't tell if you won't" scenario. Then every now and then some narc shows up and ruins everyone's fun, and the moderators are forced to take action just for the sake of keeping up appearances.
     
    Last edited: Jan 23, 2020
    Goblin Sleuth, Jan 22, 2020
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  9. Robbini

    Robbini Logical? Illogical? Random? Or Just Unique?

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    Cultural, Moral, Political, Economical etc. Pick any reason and there's likely to be one associated with it.

    That being said , i'm sometimes amazed how they don't try to censor party member / officials from being corrupt , criminal or traitorous as hell in some modern day novels, but even maybe they realize that's a bit too much censorship.
     
    Robbini, Jan 22, 2020
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  10. Astaroth

    Astaroth empty

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    I wonder exactly how those systems work, because I've come to notice that sometimes (some of) the aggregators seem to have grabbed the chapters before they got censored.

    Though some other aggregators seem to be actively censoring the novels they rip off, but I guess you'd have to actually compare with the original to know for sure.


    Anyway, I agree with you that it's mostly the platforms that do the censoring.
     
    Astaroth, Jan 22, 2020
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  11. ExcitableFoci

    ExcitableFoci Well-Known Member

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    Pretty sure that this ban will be lifted in the following years tho, the ban of p*rn and sm*t is more of activity they just do for the sake of keeping up appearances than anything else. The reason it is enforced is cuz president Xi got some steroids and wanted to step up every kind of censorship there was. It will be lifted for the simple sake of economic reasons, s*x sells after all. They are losing a lot of money to illegal ways people have of selling p*rn and video streaming.

    https://www.thedailybeast.com/china-is-hooked-on-japanese-pornand-thats-a-good-thing

    Quite wild how an aunt I have just came to me and started asking about what youngsters used as fap materials nowadays, saying how she looked up JAV (was it spelt like this?) from time to time.
     
    Last edited: Jan 22, 2020
    ExcitableFoci, Jan 22, 2020
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  12. DeirdreH

    DeirdreH Well-Known Member

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    Sounds like China has figured out the game the rootless cosmopolitans are playing and are taking countermeasures.
     
    DeirdreH, Jan 22, 2020
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  13. MangoGuy

    MangoGuy Rambling Mango

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    you can still do it you know... just gotta write a story where pussy cats use bananas as their weapons to fight angry cocks invading their nation.
     
    MangoGuy, Jan 22, 2020
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  14. mmsupreme

    mmsupreme How do I change my custom title?

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    I'm just waiting on Japan to stop censoring their porn and gore.
     
    mmsupreme, Jan 22, 2020
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  15. Bachingchung

    Bachingchung Well-Known Member

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    It's China. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
     
    Bachingchung, Jan 23, 2020
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